The wonderful Thanksgiving holiday has put me behind schedule a bit. Here are the class notes (as best I as can remember) from our study of Mark 10.
During the first century there were two prominent rabbis, Hillel and Shammai, who shaped much of Jewish religious thought.
The two schools of thought were often in conflict (with Hillel's teachings typically being more popular). Divorce was one of their documented topics of debate. Hillel and Shammai came to different conclusions on Deuteronomy 24:1,
Let's also remember the overt (and often oppressive) patriarchy that pervaded the culture and disempowered women of the time. Technically, a woman could not divorce her husband. Dissolving the marriage was a right reserved by-and-large by the husband. If a husband divorced his wife, he put her at risk. Culturally speaking, she would likely be the one to carry the burden of shame from such an action (ie What did she do wrong that led him to divorce her?). Should would have few legal avenues for gainful employment. She would likely return to her father's household and hope to be welcomed back under the care of her family of origin.
With this in mind, let's look again at Jesus' response.
As is often the case in Mark, studying the details helps the larger picture come into focus.
Read Mark 10:32-45 - Still Not Getting It
Read Mark 10:46-52 - The One that Walked With
The story of Bartimaeus is in direct relationship to the stories that have gone before it.
The "So What?" of Chapter 10
In Mark 10 I hear the gamut of reasons that lead people to seek our Christ. In this chapter people come:
...with questions
...with a desire to blessing
...with a need for certainty
...with the hope of healing
...with a lust for power and prestige
...with the need to be justified
And to the one that came that I would likely be quick to judge and discount, it says, "Jesus looked at him with love..." (verse 21). If Jesus looked at that one with love then I think he looked at them all with love.
Many people come to the church, to the body of Christ. People come for all sorts of reasons and for reasons that aren't too much different than those 2,000 years ago. So it's my hope that I, that we, can help one another follow the example of Christ. So to each one that comes to Central Union may we, by grace, look at everyone with love.
Read Mark 10:1-12 - Pick a Side
My professor on Romans and Galatians used to say every class, C.I.E. "Context is Everything." The opening story in Mark 10 discusses a topic our modern ears feel all too familiar with, divorce. And yet, when we explore the historical context, deeper themes emerge.
During the first century there were two prominent rabbis, Hillel and Shammai, who shaped much of Jewish religious thought.
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| Hillel and Shammai by Loren Wells |
"...a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable (also translated as 'indecent') about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house..."The question is, "What does something objectionable mean?" Shammai taught that this only referred to some sort of sexual infidelity. Hillel held a looser interpretation. For Hillel, "something objectionable" could include just about anything that displeased the husband (eg burning a meal, developing acne, contracting an illness, etc.). It's easy to see that the Pharisees's question about divorce could have been a been an attempt to paint Jesus in a corner.
Let's also remember the overt (and often oppressive) patriarchy that pervaded the culture and disempowered women of the time. Technically, a woman could not divorce her husband. Dissolving the marriage was a right reserved by-and-large by the husband. If a husband divorced his wife, he put her at risk. Culturally speaking, she would likely be the one to carry the burden of shame from such an action (ie What did she do wrong that led him to divorce her?). Should would have few legal avenues for gainful employment. She would likely return to her father's household and hope to be welcomed back under the care of her family of origin.
With this in mind, let's look again at Jesus' response.
- "...from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'" Here Jesus references the creation story in Genesis. Genesis though tells two different creation stories. In Genesis chapter 2, the creation of humanity begins with Adam (which means "Man" in Hebrew) and after some trial and error to find Adam a companion, Eve (which means "to Live" in Hebrew) was created from Adam's rib. It's not a stretch to interpret a patriarchal worldview form this story. In Genesis chapter 1 there lives a different account of the creation of Adam and Eve. There is says,
"So God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27
This account clearly places man and woman on equal footing. They are both created in the image of the divine. This is the creation story that Christ points us to.
- "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate," Remember, it is the male who has the power culturally to separate. Here we can hear Jesus saying that the ultimate authority does not rest in the husband, but in God.
- "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." At first glance this might sound harsh, yet it is actually a statement of equality. In first century Palestine, a husband could not commit adultery against his wife, to do so would imply equality. If a married man (A) had an affair with a married woman (C) then that man (A) would have committed adultery against the married woman's (C) husband (D). A man could only commit adultery against another man. When Jesus says that a married man would commit adultery against his wife. he is elevating the wife to a place of equality. Jesus takes it a step farther by stating that a woman has the ability to divorce her husband. Again, he is making a claim of equality.
When his detractors tried to create a forced choice about his position on divorce (ie are you a student of Hillel or Shammai?) Jesus chose option #3. Jesus' response seems to say, "The question isn't, 'What is divorce? When is it OK?' The question is, 'What is marriage?'" He wants them to reclaim a mystical and wonderful understanding of marriage where, by the grace and power of God, two equal persons become one.
Read Mark 10:13-16 - What Does a Blessing Look Like?
First, check out the last blog post (the Mark 9:33-37 section) for a few quick notes about children in first century Israel. I'll wait.
Jesus was indignant. It is likely that his disciples would have been shaming or belittling the mothers who brought their children to see and be blessed by Jesus. Jesus is more than disappointed with his followers, he is angry that they would try and prevent any from coming to him.
This story of Jesus blessing the children reminds me of a beautiful story by Henri Nouwen. After a successful career as a seminary professor and best-selling author, Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest, made a dramatic life change. He went to work as a chaplain at the L'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto. L'Arche communities foster care and friendship between residents who live with severe mental and physical disabilities and those who do not. The following experience during his time at L'Arche illustrates what it means to be blessed.
"I would like to tell you a little story about our community. There is one of my friends there who is quite handicapped but a wonderful, wonderful lady. She said to me, "Henri, can you bless me?" I remember walking up to her and giving her a little cross on her forehead. She said, "Henri, it doesn't work. No, that is not what I mean." I was embarrassed and said, "I gave you a blessing." She said, "No, I want to be blessed." I kept thinking, "What does she mean?"
We had a little service and all these people were sitting there. After the service I said, "Janet wants a blessing." I had an alb on and a long robe with long sleeves. Janet walked up to me and said, "I want to be blessed." She put her head against my chest and I spontaneously put my arms around her, held her, and looked right into her eyes and said, "Blessed are you, Janet. You know how much we love you. You know how important you are. You know what a good woman you are."
She looked at me and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I know. I suddenly saw all sorts of energy coming back to her. She seemed to be relieved from the feeling of depression because suddenly she realized again that she was blessed. She went back to her place and immediately other people said, "I want that kind of blessing, too."
The people kept walking up to me and I suddenly found myself embracing people. I remember that after that, one of the people in our community who assists the handicapped, a strong guy, a football player, said, "Henri, can I have a blessing, too?" I remember our standing there in front of each other and I said, "John," and I put my hand on his shoulder, "you are blessed. You are a good person. God loves you. We love you. You are important." Can you claim that and live as the blessed one?"
Jesus was indignant. It is likely that his disciples would have been shaming or belittling the mothers who brought their children to see and be blessed by Jesus. Jesus is more than disappointed with his followers, he is angry that they would try and prevent any from coming to him.
This story of Jesus blessing the children reminds me of a beautiful story by Henri Nouwen. After a successful career as a seminary professor and best-selling author, Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest, made a dramatic life change. He went to work as a chaplain at the L'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto. L'Arche communities foster care and friendship between residents who live with severe mental and physical disabilities and those who do not. The following experience during his time at L'Arche illustrates what it means to be blessed.
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| Henri Nouwen |
We had a little service and all these people were sitting there. After the service I said, "Janet wants a blessing." I had an alb on and a long robe with long sleeves. Janet walked up to me and said, "I want to be blessed." She put her head against my chest and I spontaneously put my arms around her, held her, and looked right into her eyes and said, "Blessed are you, Janet. You know how much we love you. You know how important you are. You know what a good woman you are."
She looked at me and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I know. I suddenly saw all sorts of energy coming back to her. She seemed to be relieved from the feeling of depression because suddenly she realized again that she was blessed. She went back to her place and immediately other people said, "I want that kind of blessing, too."
The people kept walking up to me and I suddenly found myself embracing people. I remember that after that, one of the people in our community who assists the handicapped, a strong guy, a football player, said, "Henri, can I have a blessing, too?" I remember our standing there in front of each other and I said, "John," and I put my hand on his shoulder, "you are blessed. You are a good person. God loves you. We love you. You are important." Can you claim that and live as the blessed one?"
Read 10:17-31 - The One that Walked Away
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| Sculpture by Nikolai Aldunin |
- "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." Is Jesus just being coy here? Perhaps. Personally, I think Jesus is once again masterfully maneuvering out of a contrived set up. In the ancient near east it was common (and good manners) to repay a compliment with a compliment. I think Jesus is side stepping the man's not so subtle play for a commendation from the teacher by turning down the compliment and turning the conversation to God.
- "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother." One of these things doesn't belong. It's common to skim through the partial list of the of the 10 Commandments Jesus' gives without catching the discordant note. "You shall not defraud" This isn't one of the 10 Commandments. "You shall not steal" and "You shall not bear false witness" are both among the 10 but Jesus does not use the language for either of those. "Defraud" has a particular implication. The word used here was commonly used to talk about withholding payment for services (eg such as refusing to pay a hired hand for a days labor at the end of the day) or keeping a deposit or a surety unjustly. Perhaps Jesus was giving an approximate list of the 10 Commandments or it is a momentary lapse in memory. My hunch, it's intentional in order to draw attention to economic exploitation.
- "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." That's a bold claim. "I've kept all of the 10 Commandments since I was a child." Who says that kind of thing? In Jewish tradition, only three people would have been able to make such a claim: Abraham, Moses, and Aaron. He's elevating himself into some rare air.
- "'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions." "Possessions" is not a reference to things but to property. At last we learn that this man was very wealthy and as a landowner with "many possessions" he likely would have had political power as well. Does Jesus special commandment hint at how he amassed and maintained his wealth? Is the command to give the money to the poor more about charity or about recompense and justice?
- "'How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!' And the disciples were perplexed at these words." The traditional thought of the time (and one that continues to live in some Christian traditions today) is that wealth is a sign from God that you're doing the right things (Deuteronomy 28:11). Jesus flips this notion on its head. It's no wonder the disciples were perplexed. So what does this mean? I like the this quote from Augustine on the matter:
“Riches…are gained with toil and kept with fear. They are enjoyed with danger and lost with grief. It is hard to be saved if we have them; and impossible if we love them; and scarcely can we have them but we shall love them inordinately. Teach us, O Lord, this difficult lesson: to manage conscientiously the goods we possess.”
Read Mark 10:32-45 - Still Not Getting It
Just a couple of quick notes:
- This is the third time Jesus has clearly outlined what is to come. The disciples don't seem to be picking up what he is putting down.
- Verse 37, the Sons of Thunder ask to be on his right hand and on his left when he comes into his kingdom (ie when he is finally made king). Make a mental note to return to this later.
- Verse 45, "ransom" means to buy back or to redeem. Think of a pawnshop. Something, or in this case someone, is held in captivity and they need to be freed. This would happen in the ancient world were debt would subject someone to slavery and they would need a kinsman to redeem them, to pay the debt and buy their freedom. Israel, the people of God, needed to be redeemed from the very real Babylonian exile (Isaiah 59:12, 15, 20). The Apostle Paul often used the language of redemption in his letters to the churches which were written before the gospel of Mark (Gal 3:13, Gal 4:4-5, Rom 3:23-24). This kind of language was already present in the early Christian communities.
Read Mark 10:46-52 - The One that Walked With
The story of Bartimaeus is in direct relationship to the stories that have gone before it.
- "Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus" - "Bar" in Hebrew means "Son" or "Son of". So the name Bartimaeus literally means "Son of Timaeus". So why say it twice? Perhaps this is more evidence of Mark's gentile audience that likely would not have known the Hebrew or perhaps the repetition was meant to draw attention to the name. Either way, it's always good to know what the names of characters in the Bible mean. "Timaeus" can be translated as purchased one or one who is/was bought. The "Son of One Who Was Purchased" sound like someone who needs to be ransomed.
- "'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many sternly ordered him to be quiet" - "Son of David" was a title with clear Messianic connotations. Here, Mark's Messianic Secret is flipped as it is not Jesus who says to keep it on the down-low but the crowd who attempts to silence the blind man.
- "So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus." - The cloak would have been a key possession to a blind beggar. He would have spread it before him to collect the coins and gifts from people as he sat begging. To toss it aside was not only to give up a layer of protection and warmth but also his primary means for collecting revenue. Do you hear the reversal of the rich man before him?
- "What do you want me to do for you?" - Jesus asks the same question he previously asked the Sons of Thunder when they came to him (verse 36). This man wants to be made well in contrast to the disciples request for power and prestige.
- "He...followed Jesus along the way" - Unlike the rich man who did not follow, Bartimaeus move with Jesus and these stories become an illustration of Jesus' words in verses 41-44.
The "So What?" of Chapter 10
In Mark 10 I hear the gamut of reasons that lead people to seek our Christ. In this chapter people come:
...with questions
...with a desire to blessing
...with a need for certainty
...with the hope of healing
...with a lust for power and prestige
...with the need to be justified
And to the one that came that I would likely be quick to judge and discount, it says, "Jesus looked at him with love..." (verse 21). If Jesus looked at that one with love then I think he looked at them all with love.
Many people come to the church, to the body of Christ. People come for all sorts of reasons and for reasons that aren't too much different than those 2,000 years ago. So it's my hope that I, that we, can help one another follow the example of Christ. So to each one that comes to Central Union may we, by grace, look at everyone with love.
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